Four Brothers
Pat Donnelly, LaSalle College HS
Alone in their thoughts but surrounded by other runners, the North Penn 4x800m relay team waits anxiously in the paddock area of Franklin Field at the 2008 Penn Relays. A gun sharply cracks and a swarm of professional runners charge out of the starting line just a few feet away from them. The overwhelming cheering and shouting from the crowd interrupts the four high schooler’s ability to think clearly about the monumental task ahead. Nervous glances at the competition, quick leg shake-outs, and swigs of cold water pass the time as the runners wait anxiously for the Championship of America 4x800m Relay to be called.
Brian Quintrell, Junior
Just as thunder breaks the silence before a storm, a screeching microphone finally calls for the athletes: “Would the lead-off legs of the Championship of America 4x800 Relay please step forward.” North Penn junior Brian Quintrell moves to the front of the paddock area, taking the time to look back at his teammates. Reassuring glances from seniors Steve Franks, Justin Bookheimer, and Zach Montijo will be the last thing that Quintrell sees before he steps onto the track and begins the much-anticipated 2008 Outdoor track.
Steve Franks, Senior
Their story begins at the start of the 2006-2007 Indoor season at North Penn High School, a large high school in Lansdale, Pennsylvania that is known for churning out 800m runners like a waterfall pouring out an incessant stream of water. Among this field of talented runners, four were chosen by longtime North Penn coach Richard Swanker to compete on the coveted Varsity 4x800m relay team: sophomore Brian Quintrell and juniors Steve Franks, Justin Bookheimer, and Zach Montijo.
Under the pressure to succeed and with no senior leadership, these four runners ran like veterans for the next six grueling months of Indoor and Outdoor track. Together, the young 4x800m relay was the 2007 Pennsylvania Indoor State Champions, runner-up at the National Scholastic Indoor Championship, and 4th overall and the 1st American team at that spring’s Penn Relays. They finished their season with a time of 7:54.39, which ranked them 1st in the state and 3rd in the country. With six months of summer and fall training, the possibilities for next year seemed endless.
Heading into the 2008 Indoor season, North Penn’s 4x8 now had full year of experience under their belt and were ready to return as a veteran relay. While most relays across the country were busy trying to replace graduated seniors with returning underclassmen, this relay had become closer and more in sync than ever.
Justin Bookheimer, Senior
“We can see how guys are doing when they’re out there racing,” said anchor leg Zach Montijo. “Like I know, Quintrell, how he’s feeling. I can pick up his nonverbal communication. And we know when we have to get the job done for each other.”
Upon the arrival of the Indoor track season, this relay had matured into a family, a group of brothers who were all dedicated to improving themselves for the betterment of their team. “When one of your guys was feeling either sore or sick and didn’t want to do these hard practices, we got each other going and pushed each other during every hard practice,” commented second-leg Steve Franks. With the support of each other and the experience of a full year under their belt, the relay began what could only be a promising year of running.
At the 2008 Pennsylvania Indoor State Championship, the North Penn 4x8 took the gold with a state meet record time of 7:48.99. Before long, the relay was back at the National Scholastic Indoor Championship meet, where they won with a blazing 7:47.48, putting them at 1st in the state and 3rd in the country. Their success continued into the Outdoor track season at the Penn Relays. Despite the engulfing pressure that comes with running at this meet, the boys ran a U.S. #1 time of 7:44.39, finishing as the runner-up in the Championship of America final and 1st among U.S. teams.
Zack Montijo, Senior
However, the Penn Relays was just the beginning of North Penn’s outdoor success. The team took its talent to the Pennsylvania Outdoor State Championship a month later, shocking the country with an unprecedented 7:38.79, a time that is currently seven seconds faster than any other time in the country and ranked 20th among 4x800m relays in the country ever.
The months of committed practicing had paid off. As long as these four young men were together, it seemed as if there was nothing that they couldn’t accomplish. “There’s a certain comfort level that’s there now, that we’re just used to running with each other, and it’s something that can’t really be broken,” summed up Franks.
Although the success of the past two years will be hard to forget, the clock is ticking on the relay’s continued existence. Soon, the temperature will get warmer and the days will get longer as their final year comes to a close. The fate of the continued 4x800m relay success will fall into the hands of the lone junior, lead-off leg Brian Quintrell. “Well I’m definitely going to miss them. It’s gonna be tough because I’ve been with them since my sophomore year,” said Quintrell. “I’m just gonna have to work hard and just run fast and see what happens.”
While the young junior seems like the “little brother” on the team, Quintrell leads the team off every race by thrusting himself into the mix of jostling elbows and slashing spikes to give his relay the lead. It can be said without a doubt that although the brothers who have dedicated the last two years of their lives to each other will soon go in different directions, the tradition of North Penn 4x800m relay success will live on.